1954 Champions Cup

The 1954 Champions Cup was the 8th official, and 9th overall edition of the Champions Cup, the deciding game(s) of the NERC season. This installment was played between The Bronx Bears and the Hempstead Clippers. The Bears were attempting to win their second title in 5 years, while the Clippers were looking to win their first title in 8 years.

The Clippers completed the upset and emerged victorious, in a convincing 37-26 win.

Opening
With the 1954 Champions Cup Final being between two New York-based teams, as well as being a first-round rematch, the New York Runty Park was louder than it had ever been. Taking up around 60% of the stadium were supporters of the first-place Bronx Bears, looking to avenge their defeat in the first round. The next 30% of the stands consisted of Hempstead Clipper supporters, hoping to see their team clinch their first Champions Cup title since 1946. The remaining 10% of the stands were neutral supporters, just looking to watch a great game of runty.

First Quarter
The Bears won the opening jump-ball, and got to work quickly. They moved the ball upfield, and in the first minute of the game, the first shot became the first goal, courtesy of Lucas Sizemore. They would continue to hold possession, and added a point before the 3-minute mark. The Bronx held a 5-0 lead just 2:23 in. While it would take a while before the next score, there were plenty of chances missed by both teams. Perseus Whitney had drew a penalty shot, but his effort hit the post and bounced back into play, for 0 points. The Clippers would eventually get some scoring, With Louis Foy kicking a point. Just over a minute later, Gil Littlewood rolled in a sneaky shot, tying the game at 5. The last 10 minutes of the quarter were tight, but the Bears got the upper hand, forcing their way through Hempstead’s defenders. This culminated in a point kicked by the Bears’ normally stay-at-home RO Harry Clay. This ended up being the final score of the quarter, after which the Bears held a slim 1-point lead over the Clippers.

Second Quarter
The Bears started the second quarter strong, getting another point to make it 7-5, as well as some other missed chances. However, it would be the Clippers who finally got their offense going in the quarter. 44 seconds after the point, They kicked one of their own, making it 7-6. The Clippers continued to hold the ball after, and Foy missed a glorious opportunity from right in front when his shot drifted just wide for a game-tying point instead of a lead-taking goal. A couple minutes later, an almost identical play happened again for the Clippers, this time Philip Jimmerson being the guilty party. These misses became even worse after the Bears’ Freddy Falconer kicked a goal, putting them up by 3. This initially seemed to shock the Clippers, but they quickly regained composure, and started attacking again. Eventually, Gunther McNaughton deflected home a cross from Whitney, and the Clippers had the lead back. On the very next rush, Malcolm Sealess kicked his first goal of the game, putting giving Hempstead a 5-point lead that they held onto until the break. After 48 minutes of play, it was still anybody’s game.

Third Quarter
Like they had done in the two previous quarters, the Bears started off the third with a strong couple minutes of possession. While they were hoping for a goal to get within 1, All they got from their early press was a point from Sizemore. After this, the Clippers came to life, playing their best runty of the game so far. Babe Salford and Foy both scored for them, while their defense was playing lights out, not letting the Bears’ #1 offense do anything. Frustrations nearly boiled over, and there was almost a brawl, but cooler tempers prevailed. This near brawl didn’t change anything about the pace of play, the Clippers were still putting on a clinic both offensively and defensively. Salford almost scored his second of the game, but his absolute rocket of a shot went just wide. Despite the constant offensive pressure from Hempstead, the Bears only allowed one other point through the rest of the quarter. However they were now down 14, and in serious danger of losing to the Clippers yet again.

Fourth Quarter
The Bears came out flying to start the fourth, knowing they had to get going early to have a chance. However, they couldn’t get any score until the 6-minute mark, and that was only a point. 37 seconds later, they had another great chance, but it was once again missed for a point. They weren’t giving up though, and Isak Gustafsson would finally give them the goal they were looking for. They couldn’t get much else going at that point, and the Clippers would come back and get a quick goal and two points of their own, negating everything the Bears had done to that point in the quarter. To make matters worse, Sealess converted a free kick for Hempstead, putting them up 36-18 with 10:45 to play. It was an impossible task for the Bears, but team captain Sizemore wasn’t giving up. Over the next minute, he single-handedly worked his way through the Clipper defense twice and converting twice, putting them within 10. Seeing this, Hempstead elected to focus on running out the clock, which they did effectively. They kicked the last point of the game, and as the final whistle went, the players, coaches, and supporters exploded with joy. A nearly picture-perfect game by them gave them their second Champions Cup title in franchise history. The Bears could only look on in regret. They had 2 chances to beat the Clippers, but came up empty.